Boy’s armour

Gilt armour

Field armour of King Charles I (known as the Gilt armour). Possibly made by Charles Dartene. Originally ordered for Henry Prince of Wales but subsequently worn by King Charles I.

Object Provenance:

Dutch about 1612-13

Object Number:

II.91

Henry Stuart, Prince of Wales in the Line of Kings

Description

One of history’s many ‘what if’s’ surrounds the life and death of the young Henry Stuart. Eldest son of James I of England (VI of Scotland) Prince Henry was heir to the throne and idolised by many as a warrior Protestant prince. However Henry’s premature death at the age of 18 left his brother Charles in line for the throne. King Charles I’s reign saw the bloody Civil Wars which ended with his execution at the hands of the Parliamentarians.

In 1661 after the end of the Commonwealth and at the start of the Restoration, Prince Henry was still remembered. Dutch visitor William Schellink was told that the Tower had an armour belonging to Prince Henry and saw a weapon given to Prince Henry from the King of Spain.

However, it seems this recognition did not last. About hundred years later in 1768 – when the Stuart dynasty had ended and the Hanoverians were on the throne – Henry, Prince of Wales did not have a place in the Tower’s Line of Kings. That is to say, he did not have a named place, although two of his armours were used, but not for figures of Henry. His distinctive steel and gilt boy’s armour was used for the representation of Edward VI, the ‘first Protestant prince’. The distinctive engravings on the armour were described as ‘a vast variety of scripture histories, alluding to battles & other memorable passages’. In addition to this, the ‘Gilt armour’ that was originally made for Prince Henry but had been adapted for his brother after his death was worn by a representation of Charles I. This armour had effectively been owned by both Henry and Charles, but was now only attributed to the younger brother who became King.

Appeasement for Prince Henry came in the nineteenth century with the re-display by Dr Meyrick, who restored Henry, Prince of Wales to the Line of Kings. At this time nobles and royal favourites were also introduced to the Line of Kings, but Prince Henry was the only prince in line to the throne in the Line: a demi-king in title and stature. The description of his armour in the 1827 guidebook was also improved, removing the religious connotations and simply describing ‘subjects relating to battles, sieges, the burning of cities &c.’. We now know that the engravings depict scenes from the life of Alexander the Great.

Today, Henry, Prince of Wales’s richly decorated armour stands in current the Line of Kings at the Tower. He has also been remembered outside the Tower, enjoying the starring role in an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, The Lost Prince, in 2012.

Boy’s armour

Boy’s armour probably made for Henry, Prince of Wales.

Object Provenance:

Dutch, about 1608

Object Number:

II.88

Gilt armour

Field armour of King Charles I (known as the Gilt armour). Possibly made by Charles Dartene. Originally ordered for Henry Prince of Wales but subsequently worn by King Charles I.